


Mythological

by StBridget



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: 2.17 Bear Trap + Mob Boss, Character Study, Episode Related, Gen, Smart Jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-07 01:45:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14070201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StBridget/pseuds/StBridget
Summary: Jack lied.  He had read Beowulf.





	Mythological

**Author's Note:**

> So, I firmly believe Jack's a lot smarter than he comes across. We know he's a brilliant tactician, but I think he has book smarts, too. And, I can't believe he hasn't at least read a translation of Beowulf--it's right up his alley. And even if he hasn't, I'm sure he saw the movie--Angelina Jolie? He has to have been right there. So, you get another dive into Smart Jack.

Jack lied.  He _had_ read Beowulf, in the original Old English, as a matter of fact.  Jack had seen the movie of Beowulf several times, too, and it certainly satisfied his lust for action movies, not to mention Angelina Jolie in all her glory, but it hadn’t compared to the original. 

His love of the book was why he’d named his ring that (and because it sounded cool)—he’d been taken with the heroic tale of grandiose deeds and man versus monster.  Okay, it had nothing to do with wolves—and yes, he did know that, despite what the others thought—but it still made a good name for a wolf ring.  He was sentimental over the connection to one of his favorite works as much as anything.

Jack had read a lot of classics, in fact, and not, as Riley teased him, the comic book editions.  Oh, he’d read a few of those, because some of them had amazing illustrations (Beowulf being a good example), but only _after_ reading the original.

Mythology in particular fascinated Jack.  He’d first encountered it when he saw Clash of the Titans as a teen (the original, not the remake, though he’d seen that, too.  The special effects were _awesome_ ).  From there, he’d started reading, beginning with Robert Graves’ book on Greek mythology.  As an adult, Jack had taken the mythology course from one of the local community colleges.  That’s where he’d first encountered Beowulf, and the Iliad and the Odyssey as well (though he hadn’t read those in Greek).  The solider had to take Comp first, so he’d found a course that used mythology as a theme.  He’d read A Midsummer Night’s Dream there and loved it.  That hadn’t quenched Jack’s thirst, so he’d taken anthropology and religion courses when he’d exhausted the literature courses.

Jack liked mythology in pop culture, too.  That’s why he was a fan of Thor, not because he liked the Marvel comics (well, that, too).   He’d devoured the Harry Dresden books, too (yes, contrary to popular belief, Jack read, and something besides thrillers even), because of their mix of religion and mythology as well as magic.  He’d even ventured into Mercy Thompson, but don’t you dare tell anyone.  And, he had to admit, Mercy might be a girl, but she was pretty kick-ass.

Nobody knew this, though, not even his team.  It wasn’t that Jack didn’t trust them with his deepest secrets, because he did; it was just that nobody saw what Jack didn’t want them to, and, after all these years, it was hard to let down his guard for anybody, even those he was closest to.

After returning from Russia, Jack mourned the loss of his ring the best way he knew how.  He reached behind the Bruce Willis movies and the collector’s edition of Star Wars and the other action films on his shelf and pulled out his battered copy of Beowulf, sitting there next to his equally worn copies of Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Robert Graves’ book.  They were hidden not because he was ashamed of them, but, again, because people only saw what he wanted them to, and he wanted them to see a happy-go-lucky soldier who loved Bruce Willis and Metallica and hit things for a living, not the side that devoured the classics—he’d never be taken seriously as a muscle-man if people knew.  So, the books were kept hidden, and Jack only brought them out when he was alone and wanted to lose himself in a _real_ action story.

Jack cracked a beer and settled back in his favorite chair, book in hand.  He turned to the first page and started reading, quickly losing himself in the flow of Old English.  Hadn’t read it, indeed.  If they only knew


End file.
